Palmeiras' forward Estevao Willian celebrates after scoring a goal during the Copa Libertadores group stage first leg football match between Brazil's Palmeiras and Uruguay's Liverpool at the Allianz Parque stadium in Sao Paulo, Brazil, on April 11, 2024. (Photo by NELSON ALMEIDA / AFP) (Photo by NELSON ALMEIDA/AFP via Getty Images) (Image: AFP via Getty Images)
Chelsea's prodigious talent Willian Estevao was benched from training with instructions that he "needed to sleep" following his stint in the international arena.
The 17 year old future Chelsea starlet, set to move from Palmeiras after his 18th birthday, featured as a substitute in both World Cup qualifiers for Brazil against Ecuador and Paraguay.
Palmeiras coach Abel Ferreira had previously noted: "When he arrived, he didn't sleep at all and wanted to train. But we told him no, to go home, sleep, recover. Since we have time, we can take care of the players and play games with this intensity."
Mandatory Credit: Photo by MAST IRHAM/EPA-EFE/REX/Shutterstock (14223266x)Estevao Willian of Brazil celebrates after scoring the opening goal during the FIFA U-17 World Cup round of sixteen match between Ecuador and Brazil at the Manahan Stadium in Surakarta, Indonesia, 20 November 2023.FIFA U-17 World Cup - Ecuador vs Brazil, Surakarta, Indonesia - 20 Nov 2023 (Image: MAST IRHAM/EPA-EFE/REX/Shutterstock)
Estevao, versatile as a winger or a No. 10, has matched Neymar's 2009 milestone as the 17 year old with the most goals and assists in Brazil's premier division.
Despite signing for Chelsea in a deal worth £51million including add-ons, Estevao's current season tally in the league stands at nine goals and seven assistsa record which he cannot surpass this weekend due to a thigh injury that rules him out of the game against Vasco da Gama.
With keen eyes on nurturing his immense promise, Chelsea are organizing a trip for Estevao to visit their Cobham facility to ease into his forthcoming transfer to London next summer.
Bound by an impressive eight-year agreement with Chelsea, Estevao is expected to remain at Stamford Bridge until at least 2033.
Enzo Maresca has been keeping a keen eye on a young talent, recently commenting: "He's performing fantastically, but unfortunately he's performing there and not here. We'll wait until next summer when he arrives, but we're very happy with the way he's doing things."
Meanwhile, Brazilian football legend Djalminha has hailed Chelsea's new signing as a 'real gem', despite suggesting that the player deserves to be at a more prestigious club given Chelsea's current form.
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Speaking to El Larguero, Djalminha expressed his admiration: "Even though Brazilian football is a disaster, there is a gem at the level of Neymar that I am delighted with, and that is Estevao. He is impressive. He is just emerging, but he will certainly be a star."
He added emphatically: "After Neymar, for me he is the only player of this level of quality who has appeared. It's a shame he signed with Chelsea. He has to be sold before he makes his debut with Chelsea, and go to City, Barcelona or Real Madrid."
